Recording Contracts Law Firm NYC

It is not an easy task to grasp the entertainment industry's specialized needs - including copyright law, music publishing, record labels, media, and general business matters - and that is why it should always get handed to a specialist with years of experience. With an experienced recording contract law firm on your side, you can rest assured. Within a short period, you can understand the representation of record labels, recording artists, songwriters, producers, artist managers, music publishers, concert promoters, music industry entrepreneurs, and companies involved in creating, using, and distributing copyrighted assets.

What All You Need to Know About Copyrights, Payment, and Royalties

Traditionally, record labels hold the copyright to their artists' albums, in addition to the master recordings of such records, often called "master tapes" in enthusiastic/audiophile circles. An exception gets made when a label signs a licensing agreement with an artist. In such a case, the copyright (and masters) may get owned by the artist, their manager, or another person. Simultaneously, the album gets exclusively licensed for a certain period to the label.

Indeed, when it comes to an album's success,promotion is the answer, and this duty falls mostly on the label, along with proper distribution of records, something of a blurred line at times in the download-obsessed world of today. Although initial recording agreements typically give the artists a lower percentage of royalties, subsequent - or renegotiated - deals may lead to much higher profit or profit potential. Besides, recording deals can contain opt-out provisions for the label if an act's success drops or the act/artist releases albums that have not produced popular hits under the contract. An excellent example of this is when Mariah Carey got dropped from Virgin Records. After her first album released by the label sold poorly, her $80 million recording contract got canceled.

What's crucial to keep in mind is that record companies manufacture, release and promote an album with tremendous income, including recording time, processing, packaging, photoshoots, distribution, promotion, and music videos. Although the label typically bears these costs, some of this money may end up getting owed back to the label unless otherwise specified in a contract. Therefore, it's of great benefit to hiring a recording contract lawyer. Contact Perdomo Law today for further details.